What can I take into the PRINCE2 Practitioner exam?

During our PRINCE2 courses, one of the first questions that delegates typically ask is, ‘What am I allowed to take into the PRINCE2 exams?’

Foundation exam

For the Foundation exam you cannot take any books into the exam; you must rely solely on what you can remember about the PRINCE2 method. Although that might sound challenging, Knowledge Train’s thorough PRINCE2 training enables more than 99% of our students to pass the exam first time.

Practitioner exam

You are allowed to take your own PRINCE2 manual (Managing Successful Projects with PRINCE2) into the Practitioner exam - you’ll probably need to refer to it when answering some of the questions.

It’s a good idea to annotate the manual beforehand, as well as tabbing key sections (e.g. Appendix C: Roles and responsibilities) for ease of reference.  See a later section of this article about tabbing.

Of course, you must still be able to remember the method’s important points for this PRINCE2 exam. Constantly referring to the manual can be a disadvantage, because it will slow down your progress as you work through the questions. Bear in mind, too, that you can’t make use of any additional support material, such as other project management books or cue cards, during the exam.

Other things to take into the exam room

Whichever PRINCE2 exam you take, make sure you have a pencil and eraser for filling in the answer sheets and correcting any mistakes. You’ll also need photo ID (e.g. passport, driving licence) to show the invigilator.

Tabbing your PRINCE2 manual

During a PRINCE2 course, the trainer is likely to offer guidance on tabbing up your PRINCE2 manual for the Practitioner exam. The manual is over 300 pages long and the ability to find the relevant passage quickly can be crucial when answering Practitioner exam questions.

At Knowledge Train, we recommend adding small, brightly coloured tabs to important sections of the manual. These will be given to you when you arrive on one of our courses. You could colour code these tabs (e.g. blue for chapters about PRINCE2 Themes, red for Processes, and so on) to help you distinguish easily between the different aspects of PRINCE2.

Key sections of the manual that may be useful for the Practitioner exam include:

•     Risk theme: Responses to risk(pp. 86-87)
•     Chapter 12: Starting up a Project process (p. 119)
•     Chapter 13: Directing a Project process (p. 133)
•     Chapter 14: Initiating a Project process (p. 147)
•     Chapter 15: Controlling a Stage process (p. 165)
•     Chapter 16: Managing Product Delivery process (p. 183)
•     Chapter 17: Managing a Stage Boundary process (p. 191)
•     Chapter 18: Closing a Project process (p. 203)
•     Appendix A: Product Description outlines (p. 235)
•     Appendix C: Roles and Responsibilities (p. 269)
•     Appendix D: Product-based planning techniques (p. 279)
•     Glossary (p. 303)

When you’re thinking about how to revise for the PRINCE2 Practitioner exam, you may find that you tab more or fewer sections than in the list above. Bear in mind that a large number of tabs can be confusing and so is more likely to hinder than help your progress in the exam.

Another tip for the PRINCE2 Practitioner exam: make sure that any pieces of paper you may have inserted between the pages of the manual are removed beforehand. The rules of the Practitioner exam clearly state that you can refer only to the PRINCE2 manual when answering the questions. Don’t risk breaking the rules by taking notes written on scraps of paper into the exam room.
And most importantly ...

Don’t forget to bring water to the exam. We provide water during all of our exams and courses and it is important to keep yourself hydrated during the 2.5 hours of the Practitioner exam. Studies [1] show that students who drink water during an exam, on average, scored 5% higher marks than students who did not drink water during an exam.

References:

[1] Wood, J. (2012). Students Who Drink Water During Exams Get Higher Grades. Psych Central.